Tunnel projects call for a high degree of organisation. Construction companies are well advised to test their products in advance and rehearse installation. For this purpose, Hagerbach test gallery was set up in the seventies in Flums/Switzerland, about 100 km south of Lake Constance.

From drilling cavities to technical expansion, companies can test their new products and demonstrate them to experts who are regular guests in Hagerbach test gallery. The tunnel is also an event venue with seminar and conference rooms; it even has its own restaurant.

Hagerbach test gallery is unique as a centre for technology and specialist events in the world of tunnel construction. It is also the ideal place for HANNING & KAHL to present GuideLight products.

One such product is the system for tunnel emergency lighting which HANNING & KAHL developed for integration into handrails in railway tunnels. Emergency escape routes are positioned along platforms and must be illuminated to guide travellers out of the station to safety. A handrail is mounted to the wall for this purpose.

As required by Swiss rail (SBB) tender, the GuideLight handrail fulfils several functions in one: the wall side of the hand rail accommodates the cable duct while a groove on the lower side holds an LED strip to illuminate the escape route. GuideLight would not be complete, however, without the integrated chase lights which can be operated from a central control room in emergencies, ensuring that travellers are always guided in the right direction.

The handrail must also have other properties: apart from strength and rigidity requirements, 30-year corrosion resistance is a must; they must be yellow in colour, flame retardant and electrically insulating. With electrically insulating handrails, grounding wires do not have to be installed.

We chose pultrusion technology with glass-fibre reinforced plastic for series production of our handrail profile. This continuous manufacturing process enables cost-efficient production of complex cross-section geometries. The fibre-reinforced composite incorporates all properties required in one piece.

Vacuum infusion technology was chosen for manufacture of our handrail prototype which consists of individual 2.5 meter long handrail elements. Parts manufactured in this way have the required strength and attain a level of quality which is comparable to the series product. The prototypes were developed and manufactured at HANNING & KAHL.

GuideLight can now be viewed in operation by experts and prospective customers in Hagerbach test gallery.